this morning, a mad dash monday. >> today's schedule for the candidates looking like an episode of the "the amazing race." sprinting to the finish by air and on the ground and last-minute strategy surprises by both sides. new concerns in the storm zone were those without power coping with the coldest weather since sandy struck. and a new storm is just days away. moment of impact. a train barreling into a tanker truckloaded with liquid, and a camera right there to capture it all. and humor in hard times, moments made famous during sandy from "saturday night live."

good morning, everyone. and we begin this monday, election eve, with the final few hours of campaign 2012. a daunting schedule of stops in a down to the wire race. >> finally, it is here. >> finally. >> one day left in his fight to the finish and the candidates will focus on the handful of states expected to decide the outcome. we have team coverage this morning. tahman bradley is in boston but t.j. winick starts it off from the windy city of chicago. good morning, t.j. >> reporter: good morning, rob and paula. well, election day may not be until tomorrow, but 27 million americans have already cast their votes. a sign how close the obama campaign believes this could be, the president appeared in new hampshire which only has four electoral votes. >> we're no longer relevant now. we're props because what's happened is now, the campaign

falls on this 25-year-old kids who are out there knocking on doors making phone calls. >> reporter: joined by bill clinton who mocked mitt romney's speech. >> don't pay too much attention to what our solutions are. just be disappointed. look at me, i look like a president and i talk like one. and i'm telling you it's going to all be all right if you let me. >> reporter: with one day to go until the election, the candidates crisscross the battleground states. governor romney, 14 stops in seven states. president obama, 14 stops in eight states. both claim victory is within reach. >> he's hoping we'll settle. americans don't settle. we build. we aspire. we dream. we can do better. >> reporter: romney is even making a play for traditionally democratic pennsylvania. the candidates and their running mates all made stops in the critical battleground state of

ohio. that along with iowa and wisconsin are expected to decide the race. if president obama can win these three on top of the solid blue states democrats have taken in the last several elections. he'll have the 271 electoral votes he needs to win even if governor romney sweeps all the rest of the battleground states. >> latest abc news/"washington post" poll shows this race essentially deadlocked with the president with a 47% to 41% lead over mitt romney. >> thanks, t.j. >> now, let's check in with the romney campaign and tahman bradley out in boston. tahman, what about that surprising romney appearance in pennsylvania. maybe a surprise in the next -- or in the cards for tuesday night. what's the campaign's motive in being in a state that was thought to be so heavily democratic? >> well, good morning to you rob and paula.

that's right, they are making a final play in pennsylvania. look, if mitt romney does not win ohio, he needs another big state to get to 271 electoral votes. and the romney campaign thinks that pennsylvania is promising. they think they can do well among independents there. they picked their stride. president obama has a small lead still in pennsylvania. democrats say they will be able to pull it off. but the obama campaign is fairly taking pennsylvania seriously because bill clinton is spending the day there when he could be in other states, states like florida. >> i don't think a republican has taken pennsylvania since 1988. why does the campaign think they're going to win tomorrow? why does romney's campaign think they're going to win that? >> well, paula, they think they're riding a wave of momentum. think president obama is vulnerable under 50%. they think there's enormous enthusiasm among republican supporters and their support, the lead among independents

would carry them a lead to get them to victory tomorrow. >> it should be interesting how it all turns out. tahman bradley live in bean taun, thanks a lot. on top of that there's an early election in florida. there was chaos and confusion at some polling places. people at one crowded voting place chanting "let us vote." but briefly shut the doors. some people waited in line for more than six hours. >> and abc news is covering every last step of the campaign. we'll have all the election returns tomorrow night, live from times square. even if there is no winner. >> yeah. it will be a long one, folks. stay tuned. yes, to this morning's other major story, the long and slow recovery from hurricane sandy. >> the death toll from the superstorm now stands at 107. and 1.7 million homes and businesses are still struggling without power. each night tougher, perhaps even colder than the one before.

>> reporter: it's a week now since sandy hit, but the people who have lost everything and are suffering now in the bitter cold, it feels like an eternity. >> you don't know -- you you have no idea how hard it is to go through all of our christmas items. all pictures of the kids when -- you know, their graduations, their confirmation, all of that. it is so hard. >> so hard to be without even the basics as temperatures tumble into the 30s. >> there's hot soup, hot chocolate, blankets. >> it's cool when someone needs some stuff and they drop it off. and these people come hover and they actually really needed it. >> 20,000 people in new york city could still be homeless from the storm two weeks from now. and the other indelible images from the aftermath, the gas lines. >> i've been waiting about

4 1/2, to be honest with you. it's an ordeal. >> fema is setting up ten gas distributions around the region but with rationing the new rule in new jersey, it could b days before things return to normal. and as schools reopen today in new york, the more than 1 million students will put an added strain on a mass transit system still dealing with lingering damage. >> around as people on the east coast struggling to gain some sense of normalcy, they are bracing for, yes, another storm. >> this time, it's a nor'easter setting its sights on areas that just took a pounding from sandy. here's accuweather's jim dickey. >> good morning. a chilly day, but it will be dry. we're watching a surge of cold air coming eastward that will set off an area of low pressure. it will roll off the coast late wednesday, early thursday. it seems that the likely scenario takes the storm up along the coast with the

wind-driven rain with spots affected by sandy and snowfall more inland. rob and paula, back to you. and a reminder to you all day today on abc, and on your abc station, an unprecedented day of giving. >> abc will be helping to raise money. from "good morning america" to "jimmy kimmel live" the network will be sharing how you can donate on the web online. at 1-800-help-now. you can text and a lot of opportunity to get involved. >> lots of options. when we come back, big time companies with big time secrets getting hacked but not telling consumers. then how a toddler's weekend trip to the zoo ended in tragedy. mauled to death by a pack of wild animals. and later, a fresh face at a legendary golf tournament. get ready for a 14-year-old at the masters. x

welcome back, everyone. hurricane sandy may actually be good for the economy. the construction industry should get a boost from the rebuilding that follows the superstorm. and analysts say that in turn, could raise u.s. economic growth early next year. as building grows and bridges are repaired and replaced. the hurricane may also keep gas prices falling. despite those long gas lines, we're seeing in the new york area, demand actually decreased after the storm. and that's keeping the downward trend going. according to aaa, gas prices nationwide were down 7 cents in the past week.

31 cents from a month ago. >> because no one can get agas right now. well, the computer systems of major companies have been hacked in the past but chances are you never heard about it. bloomberg news reports that coca-cola was hacked as it was negotiating a major deal with a chinese company. companies have kept such news a secret for fear of hurting attacks. the attacks often originate in china. the weekend box office also benefitted from the superstorm with a strong opening from "wrecket ralph." analysts say east coast audiences were looking for distractions or escapes. "wreck-it ralph" took in 49 million bucks. "flight with a 25 million debut. "argue go aim in third with $10 million. when we come back, pure determination, the man who just

climbed 122 floors of a skyscraper showed the world what he can do with his bionic leg. and a train, a truck and a terrifying crash. how it all ended, it's hard to believe. 5-hour energy? 5-hour energy supports the avon foundation for women breast cancer crusade. so i can get the energized feeling i need and support a great cause? i'm sold. pink lemonade 5-hour energy? yeah and a portion of every sale goes to the avon foundation for women breast cancer crusade. i'm sold. new pink lemonade 5-hour energy. t the alert, energized you need and support breast cancer research and access to care. why they have a raise your rate cd.

tonight our guest, thomas sargent. nobel laureate in economics, and one of the most cited economists in the world. professor sargent, can you tell me what cd rates will be in two years? no. if he can't, no one can. that's why ally has a raise your rate cd. ally bank. your money needs an ally.

well, you're looking at a dramatic crash that appeared to end in certain death. but amazingly, everyone walked away unharmed. this freight train in utah slammed full force into a water truck at a railroad crossing. the truck smashed into pieces, but the two men inside actually walked away without a scratch. the man who took the video said he was shocked that anyone survived the crash. yeah, us, too. >> unbelievable. now, a look for morning road conditions, look out for those trains. a slick commute in the pacific northwest. rain-drenching highways around minimal police, omaha and st. louis.

houston and norman. >> four airport delays possible in houston and new orleans. and we turn now to pittsburgh where a day at the zoo turned to absolute tragedy. >> and it happened at an exhibit of wolf-like animals called painted dogs. a 2-year-old child fell over a railing dropping 15 feet into a pen. a pack of dogs then attacked. zookeepers rushed in luring animals away, but they had to shoot and kill one who did not back off. >> as we got to the tigers, we could hear screaming on the hillside saying stay away, stay away. >> it was all over in 15 minutes. zookeepers could not save the child's life. the atlanta area is in mourning after two men were killed. the lawmen were searching for a missing 9-year-old saturday night when their chopper hit the

top of the power pole and crashed the ground. the missing child was later found safe. and the world's first nuclear-powered aircraft carrier has returned home for the final time. the "uss enterprise" finished it's 25th and final deployment when it returned home to norfolk, virginia. after 50 years that spanned the globe the ship is now the scrapyard. and a man who lost his right leg in a motorcycle accident has now climbed to the world's tallest skyscraper. zach walters climbed the 103 floors to chicago's willis tower in under an hour with no breaks. the first person ever to complete the task wearing a mind-controlled -- yeah, mind-controlled prosthetic limb. a glimmer of hope that it

could be saved. negotiations resumed over the weekend and a new round of talks is up for tomorrow. for the rest of the sports highlights here's espn. good morning, i'm hakim dermish with your "sportscenter" update colts head coach chuck pagano takened the first game sunday after being diagnosised by leukemia. andrew luck and the colts hosting the dolphins, first quarter. luck found a leaping reggie wayne in the back of the end yon. 7-3. second quarter, reggie bush takes the handoff. skips the defender. 18-yard touchdown, 17-10, dolphins. third quarter, luck. deep to wide hilton. dunk couple. lofted the rookie record going for 334 yards and indianapolis wins it 23-20.

its 30 straight victory. steelers arriving in new jersey just hours before playing the giants. second quarter. ben roethlisberger back to pass. 's is he umenyiora. scoring, 70-yard touchdown. the play after review. the giants take a lead in metlife stadium. steelers down 20-10, roethlisberger hits mike wallace. to the sideline, 51-yard touchdown, steelers down by three. here we go. four minutes left in the game. second and goal. isaac redman punches it in for the go ahead touchdown, redman, steelers with 24 point, pittsburgh has won four straight. that's your "sportscenter" update. i'm hakem dermish, have a great day. and a teenager from china is

the youngest golfer ever to qualify for the masters tournament. guan tianlang won a stroke yesterday. >> the youngest person to play in the masters was a 16-year-old from the rney tees off, of course, next april in augusta. >> good for him. up next, "the pulse" and flying high. a royal butterfly getting the royal treatment in a commercial jet. and then "saturday night live" with its own interpretation, you could say, with very timely news conferences. [ male announcer ] connoisseurs of flavor.

experts in aroma. they're the world championship cheese judges. [ air horn blowing ] and while they might seem kind of odd to you -- like this guy -- we just love them. and at the 2012 championship, they awarded cracker barrel gold for cheddar for its rich, full flavor. thanks cheese geniuses. cracker barrel. it's cheddar, perfected. time to check "the pulse" this morning. the stories you'll be talking about today. and we start with a powerful image of america's biggest city without power. >> look at that "new york

magazine" hits the stand today with this remarkable aerial view of half of manhattan plunged into darkness. >> an architecture photographer actually took that photo from 5,000 feet up to show new york was actually two cities. and he said it was difficult to secure a helicopter the day after the storm. >> and he was able to get gas. and a super star may an online star for someone usually in the shadows. very animated sign language interpreter for mayor mike bloomberg. hard to keep your eyes on the mayor, isn't it. >> that inspired "saturday night live's" own news interpreter alongside governor chris christie. >> also, i'd like to give a sincere thanks for bred obama on how he handled the election. on election day, i'm voting for mitt romney, but if i had to pick one guy who had my back

during a crisis, it would be barack obama. it's amazing. true inspiration. again, i'll be a good soldier, i'll vote for romney, but i'm going to hate it. >> a late-blooming mon narcotic butterfly is my greating later eye today aborted a southwest airlines flight. the monarch was discovered in upstate new york still in its caterpillar state. >> its mates have already flown south and it's much too cold for the butterfly to fly southwest. so southwest agreed to transport the beauty to a botanical garden. >> i'm sure they charged in fees for its wings. >> an arm and a leg. for some of you your local news is next. >> for everyone else, we'll be back with marathon runners. of course, this is the big talk in new york. the cancel of the new york marathon. some of those runners using the time off to go the extra mile instead for victims of hurricane sandy. a can of del monte green beans?

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updating our top stories now. it is the last full day of campaigning ahead of tomorrow's election. president obama and joe biden are making 18 stops across seven states in a rush to the finish line. mitt romney and paul ryan are making 24 stops across ten states. the latest abc poll show the latest race is president obama at 48% and mitt romney at 41%. and looking to restore electricity to 1.7 million homes and businesses after a week after sandy. the job is even more urgent as temperatures fall. showers in the pacific northwest. rain from minneapolis to st. louis. showers from houston to new orleans. well, hundreds of runners refused to let months of training go to waste after the

new york marathon was canceled, at the last minute, they switched course. >> the runners decided to take part in a not so famous race a few minutes away. they signed up at the last minute for the city's manchester city's marathon in new hampshire. some even used time to raise money for new york city. >> they left the comfort of their hotel rooms to deal with the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods. more from abc's jim dolan. >> reporter: in staten island where devastation was greatest for the city the goal was to turn disaster on its head. many of the volunteers who came to help had originally come to the city to run the marathon, but since it was canceled, well, they were here. >> well, we're here to help out. a lot of people in need. we were supposed to run the marathon. but that's really nothing compared to what's going on

here. >> reporter: in the bronx, too, runners who trained all year so they could raise money to help others, a group called world vision figured they could help others right here and now. >> it's turned into something great. people coming together to turn a bad situation into something good. >> reporter: it is not, to be sure, the weekend they hoped for. it may actually be a little better. >> i'm not going to lie, we're a little sad we don't get to run. we're here because we want to serve people. and we respond to do that. >> and just a reminder that all day today here at abc and on your abc stations, we will have an unprecedented day of giving. >> abc will be helping to raise money for the red cross and hurricane sandy relief starting on "good morning america" with celebrities manning the phone bank. kind of cool. that number is 1-800-help-now. folks are hurting if you can